7 types of video advertising metrics you need to track

After weeks of meetings, ideation, and signoffs, you finally have a video marketing strategy in place for your client, and it includes running video advertising campaigns. You prep the campaigns, the video ads go live, you report on results. The cleanest three-act story if there ever was one. Before the credits roll, that ending deserves a close-up.

Video is already central to how brands sell. 91% of businesses make it a key part of their strategy to attract and retain customers. The open question isn't whether your client should run video ads. It's whether you're tracking the video advertising metrics that matter, and whether your client understands exactly how the strategy your agency built is delivering value.

Consider a scenario you've probably lived through. You launch a series of product demo videos for a client. The view count looks impressive, but conversions stay low. Without tracking metrics like watch time or click-through rate, it's hard to pinpoint where viewers drop off or lose interest.

This guide goes frame by frame on the results analysis part of your agency's video advertising work: what to measure, how to measure it, and how to turn the numbers into decisions your client can act on.

Key takeaways

• The seven metric types worth building client reporting around are viewability, completion rate, engagement, brand lift, detailed video analytics, attribution modeling, and audience demographics.

• An online video ad only counts as viewable when at least 50% of it is on screen for two seconds while playing, and ads that hit 70% viewability or higher perform better.

• Only 53% of viewers watch a video to the end, so completion rate is your clearest read on whether the creative held attention.

• Creative quality accounts for almost 50% of ROI, and 87% of consumers say video quality affects their trust in a brand.

• Raw numbers only become insight once they're tied to a client's goals, tracked as trends, and reported alongside the client's other marketing channels.

Why video advertising metrics matter

The power of video to build brand awareness and drive conversions speaks for itself. 89% of consumers want to see more online videos from brands in 2024. But simply running ads isn't enough to produce consistently successful client outcomes.

Any experienced marketer will tell you that video metrics and analysis are non-negotiable for a successful video marketing strategy. It's a guiding force for achieving marketing goals. The same is true for video advertising, programmatic or not. Without tracking the performance of your client's video ads, you won't know what's working and what isn't, or the next steps to take in each case.

If something in a video ad campaign is working, you'll know to build on it for the next one. If something isn't working, you'll know how to improve it. That feedback loop is how you demonstrate your agency's expertise to a client, month after month.

The tie-in, of course, is profitability. By tracking video performance, you identify what's delivering results and optimize advertising costs toward maximizing your clients' ROAS and ROI.

Video advertising is the best medium to show off a brand's personality and the benefits of a product or service. It can grab the attention of your easily distracted target audience like no static graphic can. But it takes work to make a solid ad.

Paul Echols, Creative Director and Owner, Square 205

What are video ad metrics?

Video advertising metrics are units of measurement for assessing the performance of your clients' online video ads. They're the data points that let you evaluate individual videos, audience interactions, and the factors that drive conversions.

By focusing on engagement metrics like views, watch time, and click-through rates, you get a clearer read on what resonates with viewers and what needs improvement. Beyond those basics, it's worth examining the source of video traffic, whether that's social media, websites, or platforms like YouTube, to determine which channels are actually effective. That's what refines a client's distribution strategy rather than just describing it.

Analyzing video content takes more than tracking numbers, though. It involves understanding audience behavior. Using analytics, you can identify patterns, like where viewers lose interest or which sections hold attention. This removes guesswork from the conversation with your client. For example, if viewers consistently drop off after the first 30 seconds of a YouTube video, that signals the need for a more compelling introduction.

The metrics each platform gives you

Each social media platform has its own set of metrics for online video ads.

On Facebook and Instagram, Meta provides the following metrics for video ads:

• Two-Second Continuous Video Plays and Cost Per Two-Second Continuous Video Play

• Three-Second Video Plays and Cost Per Three-Second Video Play

• ThruPlays and Cost Per ThruPlay

• Reach

• Amount Spent

• Video Plays and Video Plays at 25%, 50%, 75%, 95%, and 100%

• Video Average Play Time

On YouTube, Google provides the following video marketing metrics:

• Impressions for In-Stream, In-Feed, and YouTube Shorts Ads

• Paid Views for In-Stream, In-Feed, and YouTube Shorts Ads

• Interactions and Engagements

• View Rate

• Average and Maximum Cost Per View

• Earned Actions

• "Video Played To"

Monitor key metrics from your clients' programmatic video campaigns using the StackAdapt dashboard integration. Highlight ROAS and monitor conversions in real-time–try AgencyAnalytics free for 14 days.

Metrics and KPIs aren't the same thing

The sections below outline the key metrics that should inform your clients' video advertising KPIs. Remember, a metric and a KPI are two different things. A metric is a single quantifiable unit of measure. A KPI is a measure of performance toward a specific business goal within a specified time period.

As your client's video advertising strategy matures, consider setting OKRs for the clients eager to work toward an ambitious goal with aggressive targets. As an extension to the goal-setting system, an OKR is set in tandem with KPIs for your more aspirational clients.

For example, video views is a metric. Monthly video views could be a KPI. Running a set number of marketing campaigns on YouTube every month could be a key result that serves the objective of hitting one million views by the end of Q3.

With that distinction clear, here are the seven types of video advertising metric your agency should be tracking.

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1. Viewability

Viewability, or viewable impressions, measures the actual number of times an online video ad has been seen by real people. That's separate from served impressions, which counts the number of times an ad has been delivered by the ad server.

Impressions themselves refer to the number of times a video's thumbnail is displayed. The impressions click-through rate measures how many people clicked the video after seeing that thumbnail, which makes it your best read on whether the thumbnail and title are doing their job.

How to measure viewability of video ads

As per the guidelines set by the Media Rating Council and Interactive Advertising Bureau, an online video ad is counted as viewable when at least 50% of it is visible on the screen for at least two seconds while the video is playing.

The following formula is used to measure the viewability rate of online video ads:

Why viewability matters for video ads

Since viewability captures how many times ads have been seen rather than merely displayed, it's a more accurate measure of reach than served impressions. Paying for viewable impressions is a smarter allocation of your client's video advertising budget.

The video thumbnail should be appealing enough for the user to want to click through to a video. Every play of the video helps the video rank higher. An example of a good thumbnail is someone searching for 'biggest tornadoes'. To get a great click-through, your thumbnail should have a clear picture of a huge tornado! Simple yet often not thought of aspects of YouTube optimization.

Will Mullins, SEO Specialist at Will Mullins Search Engine Optimisation Services

2. Completion rate

Video views tell you how many people started watching. Completion rate tells you how many finished. It measures the percentage of viewers who watched an online video ad in its entirety.

Several related metrics sit alongside it and give the number context:

• View count. Video views are the most common and widely recognized metric, showing how many times a video has been watched. It's an initial indication of reach and popularity, and clients often use it as a benchmark to compare different videos or campaigns.

• Watch time. The total amount of time viewers spend watching a video. It reflects the cumulative impact of a video, and a high figure suggests the content holds attention and aligns with the audience's interests.

• Average view duration. How long, on average, viewers spend watching each video. This shows whether the content stays engaging throughout or loses viewers at a particular point. A higher average duration often points to higher-quality content.

• Audience retention. The percentage of a video that viewers actually watch. Use it to pinpoint where viewers drop off and to refine future videos. High audience retention means the video is compelling and well-paced.

How to measure completion rate of video ads

The following formula is used to measure the completion rate of online video ads:

Why completion rate matters for video ads

Completion rate tells you whether your client's video ad sustained the attention of viewers. A high completion rate means the content was compelling enough to keep viewers interested for the duration of the ad.

Viewers are exceptionally discerning with their time, so intentionally investing that time in an entire ad is a strong indication of its value to them. If a video ad had a low completion rate, use that information to understand what your client's target audience doesn't want to see, and adjust the content accordingly.

3. Engagement

Engagement measures the extent to which people are interacting with your client's video ad. It includes all the ways viewers interact with online video ads, such as:

• Reactions

• Comments

• Shares

• Follows

• Click-throughs

A few of these are worth reporting on individually:

• Engagement rate. Combines the likes, comments, shares, and reactions a video receives. High engagement often correlates with increased reach and audience interest.

• Click-through rate. Reveals how effectively a video's thumbnail, description, or call-to-action button pushes viewers through to additional content or landing pages. A strong CTR indicates the hook or visual appeal is compelling enough to generate action.

• Social media shares. How many times a video is shared across platforms. More shares often translate to wider organic reach and greater brand visibility.

• Subscriber growth. How a video affects the number of channel subscribers. A steady increase indicates viewers find the content valuable and worth following, which builds long-term brand loyalty.

How to measure engagement in video ads

The sum of all these individual interactions is used to measure engagement rate. Use the following formula to calculate the exact engagement rate of online video ads:

Why engagement matters for video ads

Engagement is a good indication of how well your client's video content is resonating with viewers. It also helps two-fold with reach. Firstly, the more a video ad is shared, the wider the audience for it, which is perfect for increasing brand awareness. Secondly, the more engagement a video ad receives, the more the algorithm continues to distribute it on social media feeds.

Video marketing success depends on what we ultimately want the video to achieve, whether it's to sell a new product or build brand awareness. But generally, our most important KPIs are view count, social media shares, engagements, impressions, CTRs, and video completions.

Michelle van Blerck, Communications Manager, Digital Freak

Tracking engagement month over month also gives your agency a reason to get in front of the client with a plan rather than a number.

It is so important to focus on high value tasks and planning with clients. One of the ways we utilize AgencyAnalytics is to compare our month to month engagement numbers using the reports we send to clients. We know that audience engagement can dip and stagnate due to seasonality. That being said, when we see dips it helps us develop some planning and tasks that are geared to boosting engagement. It's an added value that our clients can expect from us.

Linda Rooney, CEO + Founder, DandeLions Digital

4. Brand lift

Brand lift is a favorable rise in brand perception among consumers. Brand lift studies are used to determine if a lift occurred and to what extent.

Brand Lift tests are available for video ads on Facebook and Instagram, as well as for in-stream and bumper ads on YouTube. A test is free to create, but there are minimum budget requirements for the campaigns used to run the test. Brand Lift also isn't available for all Google Ads advertisers.

When you create a test, you provide a poll with up to three questions that will be shown for the test's duration.

How to measure brand lift in video ads

The poll responses from people who were exposed to your client's video ads (the test group) are compared to those who were not (the control group). The difference in performance between the two groups is a measure of any brand lift that took place.

On YouTube, the Brand Lift metrics are:

• Lifted Users and Cost Per Lifted User

• Absolute, Headroom, and Relative Brand Lifts

• Baseline and Exposed Positive Response Rates

• Baseline and Exposed Survey Responses

Performance is also segmented by up to three of the following metrics, which you'll have chosen at the time of creating the test:

• Ad Recall

• Brand Awareness

• Consideration

• Favorability

• Purchase Intent

On Facebook, the Brand Lift metrics are:

• Estimated Incremental Number of People who remembered seeing the ad

• Cost Per Incremental Person who remembered seeing the ad

• Percentage Point Lift

Grant clients access to 24/7 video ad campaign performance monitoring with the AgencyAnalytics Facebook Ads dashboard. Try it free for 14 days.

Why brand lift matters for video ads

Investing in brand lift is about playing the long marketing game. Tests won't produce an immediate jump in sales, but they let advertisers see the incremental impact of their campaigns on brand recognition and brand affinity among consumers, which can lead to more revenue for your client in the long run.

5. Detailed video analytics

Detailed video analytics include:

• Engagement metrics like rewatches and drop-offs.

• Latency metrics like startup time and seek latency.

• Playback metrics like rebuffer and playback failed rates.

• Video quality metrics like bitrate and compression ratio.

• Video heatmaps that show how each individual viewer is engaging with your client's videos.

These provide deeper insights into the performance of your client's video ads and are usually available in real-time from video analytics providers.

Three distribution-level data points belong in the same bucket, because they tell you where and how the video is being consumed:

• Playback locations. Where videos are viewed, such as directly on social media platforms, websites, or other embedded locations. Understanding playback locations helps you refine distribution and focus on the platforms that are actually working.

• Device type. Which devices viewers use, such as mobile phones, desktops, or tablets. Use it to optimize videos for the most popular devices and formats so the viewing experience holds up.

• Traffic source. Where the viewers came from, whether that's organic search traffic, social media traffic, direct links, or paid ads. Knowing this identifies which channels drive the most traffic and where to invest more of your client's budget.

6. Attribution modeling

Attribution modeling lets your agency decide how much credit an ad interaction gets for conversions. Tracking attribution helps you understand the role each of your client's video ads plays in the path to converting viewers into customers. Use that information to optimize advertising spend and the conversion journey itself, since any gaps get revealed along the way.

Google Ads has made data-driven attribution the default attribution model, with the option to switch to the last click model. Data-driven attribution complements any YouTube ad sequencing plans your agency might have, since it calculates how each ad interaction contributes to a conversion. These metrics are a great inclusion in any YouTube analytics report, as they clearly illustrate the connection between video ads and increased conversions.

Use the handy drag-and-drop feature to create comprehensive client-facing views of YouTube analytics. Try AgencyAnalytics free for 14 days.

On Facebook and Instagram, Meta provides four attribution setting options at the ad set level:

• 1-Day or 7-day Click-Through

• 1-Day View-Through

• 1-Day Engaged View

Two outcome metrics sit at the end of the attribution path and belong in the same report:

• Conversion rate. The percentage of viewers who complete a desired action, like filling out a form, subscribing, or making a purchase. This ties video performance directly to ROI, which makes it critical for clients evaluating campaign success.

• Bounce rate. How many viewers leave a page shortly after arriving. A lower bounce rate suggests viewers find the video relevant and engaging, which leads to more meaningful interactions and longer viewing sessions.

Read More: How To Use AI to Boost Your Clients' Landing Page Conversion Rates

7. Audience demographics

Audience demographics focus on statistical data such as age (or age range), gender, race, geographic location, marital status, education level, income bracket, and more. Knowing the audience demographics of your clients' video ads gives you the ability to improve campaign targeting, including further segmentation.

Demographic data also shapes the creative itself, since format and tone decisions follow from knowing who is watching and on which device.

Using video advertising metrics to drive client success

What all these metrics have in common is that they provide a truer picture of performance, which helps your agency make more informed decisions about video advertising campaigns. You won't be tracking every single metric all the time. You'll be aligning them to your clients' specific goals for each video advertisement.

It's important to note that different clients may have different goals and priorities, depending on their business and industry. Some clients may be more interested in lead generation, website traffic, or brand awareness, for example. In these cases, it's important to identify the appropriate metrics and KPIs that align with their goals and show how your PPC campaigns are driving those outcomes.

Justin Hoffman, Marketing & Sales, Web Solutions Firm

How to optimize video campaigns

Here are a few tips for optimizing your clients' video ads to boost ROAS.

Improve video viewability

Ads with a viewability of 70% or more perform better. If the viewability of your client's online video ads falls below this mark:

• Identify where users spend their time and move video players to those positions on the page.

• Configure a video player to autoplay only when it is in viewport.

• Ensure your video ads are well-positioned: - For above-the-fold placements, place ads near the bottom of the screen (right above the fold).

• For below-the-fold placements, place ads on the left or right side of the screen and if possible, in a separate column from the page content.

• The logic of ad placement is simple: If people can't find your videos, they can't become viewers of it. If they aren't viewers, your metrics stop there.

• Increase the size of the video player. The larger the video player, the more viewable your video content.

• Address the load speed. Slow-loading ads are less likely to be viewed.

• Optimize your website for: - Speed and Responsiveness

• Mobile Devices

Improve video completion rate

Bear in mind that only 53% of viewers will watch a video to the end. There are still options for improving the completion rate of your clients' online video ads:

• Improve viewability (as above).

• Shorten the length of the videos. The less there is to watch, the faster completion is reached.

• Include subtitles in the videos. Most people opt for silent viewing on mobile devices, so tailoring your clients' videos to the preferred viewer experience is a good move.

Improve video engagement

If the engagement rate of your clients' online video ads is lower than 1-5%:

• Change the video thumbnails to be more eye-catching. Since it's the first thing to be seen, it's important that it captures the viewer's attention.

• Start videos off strong. Include a compelling hook in the first three seconds that will draw viewers in.

• Make the videos interactive. Include gamified, shoppable, or virtual reality elements that elicit viewer engagement.

• Ensure that all video ads include a strong CTA to increase the likelihood of viewers clicking through.

Improve every metric by improving the video content

At the end of the day, you'll only be able to optimize video ads so much if their content quality is low:

• Research shows that effective creative accounts for almost 50% of ROI.

• 87% of consumers say video quality impacts their trust in a brand.

As with other forms of online advertising, video ads need to be relevant and appealing to the viewers they are intended for. Aim to create video ads that speak to your clients' target audience on an emotional level, whether that's heartfelt or comedic. Video content that grabs _and _holds a viewer's attention has the highest viewability, completion rate, and engagement.

To that end, if your agency is engaged in frequent video production, it's worth investing in a team of professionals to support your efforts. Whether these individuals are full-time salary employees working in-house or contracted freelancers, experts such as a video producer, camera operator, or professional voiceover talent will take video content from good to great.

Turning raw video data into actionable insights

Providing clients with raw numbers is only the beginning. To deliver real value, you need to turn that data into insights that drive results. Handing over numbers without context doesn't help a client understand how to improve their strategy or maximize ROI.

For example, knowing how long viewers watch a video is helpful. Explaining how to increase that watch time and improve conversions is far more valuable.

Here are some ways to turn your video analysis into actionable insights:

• Set clear goals and KPIs. Always start with specific goals and key performance indicators so you can measure success accurately.

• Identify key metrics. Focus on the video data that aligns with your client's goals rather than overwhelming them with every available metric.

• Analyze trends. Look for patterns over time in their video feeds and analytics to guide long-term strategy decisions.

• Benchmark against competitors. Use competitor data to measure performance gaps and identify areas where your client could improve.

• Connect the dots with other platforms. Integrate video marketing metrics with data from other platforms to get a fuller picture of the customer journey.

• Use insights to drive strategy. Base your strategy decisions on what the analysis tells you, rather than on the raw numbers alone.

Turning raw video data into meaningful insight lets your agency provide clients with more than a marketing report. Connecting video metrics to a larger strategy is what helps clients see why any of it matters.

Reporting on video campaigns

The production of videos takes up a sizable portion of campaign timelines, and your teams work on multiple client campaigns simultaneously. That's why they need a reporting platform that consolidates all clients' key metrics in one place. They'll be able to track video ads in real-time, perform optimizations on the fly, and generate visually appealing reports in minutes flat.

It's a win-win: maximize your billable hours while maximizing your clients' ROI. Compare metrics across 85 marketing platforms and automate your reporting schedule to streamline your monthly client communications.

Five ways to make video reports land with clients

Creating reports that impress clients is about more than presenting numbers. It's about delivering clear insight into how video campaigns drive real results. Combining video content analytics with other campaign metrics, and focusing on what matters most, is what makes a report worth reading.

• Combine video analytics with all of your clients' other campaign metrics. Integrate video data with Google Analytics 4, Google Ads, Facebook, SEO rankings, and other channels. This shows how video performance fits into the bigger picture and helps clients see how everything connects.

• Track the right video marketing metrics. Focus on views, watch time, audience retention, and conversions. Tracking the right data makes it easier to identify areas of improvement and provide actionable insights.

• Focus on the results that matter. Clients care about results. Highlight the impact on engagement, conversions, and ROI so your reports stay focused on what drives their business forward.

• Use automated reporting tools. Streamline your process with software that allows for automated reporting. This saves time and gives clients regular, up-to-date insight without manual updates.

• Wrap results in your agency's brand. Customize your reports with your agency's logo, colors, and fonts to reinforce your brand identity.

There is a lot of data available, but clients are busy, juggling many things and often don't understand the jargon/technicals of the digital marketing world. Make reports clear and to the point so that they can easily see how you're unquestionably helping their bottom line.

Brendan Chard, Owner, The Modern Firm

How to choose a video analytics platform

Choosing the right video analytics platform for your agency doesn't have to be complicated. It's about finding a solution that:

• Provides deeper insights into video content analysis.

• Integrates with other marketing tools.

• Aligns with your client's goals.

Start by evaluating the data you need to track for a client. Does the platform offer detailed video metrics like audience retention, engagement, and conversion rates, or is it limited to surface-level stats like view counts?

Next, consider how well the platform integrates with the other marketing analytics platforms your agency uses, such as Google Analytics or Facebook Insights. Combining data from multiple sources gives a fuller picture of campaign performance. Scalability is also key. Make sure the platform will grow with your agency's needs and handle larger data sets as your client base expands.

Lastly, look at the user interface. Is it intuitive enough for your team to quickly pull reports and find actionable insights? A good video analytics platform should simplify video content analysis and make it easier to present meaningful results to clients. Evaluate these factors carefully and you'll land on a platform that provides real value for your agency and your clients.

Building a video reporting dashboard in AgencyAnalytics

Tracking video marketing analytics alongside other marketing data keeps everything in one place. Agencies are busy, and no one has time to switch between platforms each month to build client reports. With customizable dashboards and real-time updates, you see how client campaigns are performing without hunting for the data. Link platforms like Instagram Ads, YouTube, and Google Analytics to get a complete view of your client's marketing data.

Start by logging into your AgencyAnalytics account and navigating to the client account you'd like to build a video marketing analytics dashboard for. Then select "add" in the drop-down menu to create a new dashboard.

Next, you'll be prompted to choose how you'd like to create the insights dashboard:

A blank dashboard is a good starting point for this example. It lets you drag and drop the specific widgets you want from various marketing platforms.

In a hurry? With Smart Reports and Smart Dashboards from AgencyAnalytics, marketers create the reports they need in just 11 seconds. Give it a try with a 14-day free trial! With access to over 85 marketing channels, AgencyAnalytics gives agencies a complete view of your client's marketing efforts, all in one place.

The platform's easy-to-use interface helps you quickly visualize data, spot trends, and make smart decisions, while keeping your clients updated with real-time insights. The new Ask AI feature automatically summarizes complex marketing data into actionable insights, saving you even more time.

Where to start

If you want to tighten how your agency tracks and reports on video advertising, work through these steps:

• Evaluate your current approach. Assess how well your process tracks the key metrics above and whether it produces insights a client can act on.

• Explore third-party tools. Look into video analytics services to find a solution that fits your agency's needs and scales as you grow.

• Customize reports. Match each report to the client's goals and add your agency's white label branding.

• Set up automated reporting. Schedule reports so clients stay updated on video performance without anyone manually compiling data each month.

If you need help setting up a marketing dashboard, reach out to the world-class customer support team, available 24/5.

End scene. Roll credits.

Track and report on your clients' video advertising metrics–it's free for 14 days on AgencyAnalytics.